Your letters for Saturday, Feb. 3

Hold a referendum on separation

Re: “Notley furious over pipeline hurdle,” Jan. 31.

Enough is enough!

Alberta has subsidized Quebec and the East through federal transfer payments for many years and never received a penny in return.

Now, Quebec has reduced its income tax rate and is balancing its budget, but it continues to receive transfer payments as if it still were a have-not province. Alberta has become a have-not province, but continues to pay.

Then, Quebec opposed the Energy East pipeline to carry Alberta oil to the Maritimes, and it was cancelled. That pipeline would have allowed Alberta oil to replace millions of barrels of imported Saudi Arabian and Venezuelan oil, would have added to our balance of payments, and created thousands of new Canadian jobs.

Now, British Columbia wants to stop increased Alberta oil shipments to the West Coast, in violation of Canadian constitutional law and interprovincial trade rules and co-operation.

Alberta has been and will continue to be economically devastated by the practices of other Canadian provinces. Meanwhile, the federal Liberal government is largely standing by and watching this demise of Confederation.

It is time for Alberta to call its own referendum to separate from Canada and begin discussions to join the United States. Perhaps Saskatchewan would like to come along as well. With our extensive oil and gas and agricultural sectors, we would be a very welcome addition to the U.S.A.

Robert J. Iverach, Calgary

B.C.’s actions come as no surprise

Albertans shouldn’t be surprised by the audacity of the B.C. government.

The political spectrum there has always been wonky. For the most part, B.C.’s “save the whale,” be the “motherland for the good of the people,” has always been counter-productive.

This time, they are going against a federal mandate with these window-dressing studies, hoping the problem goes away.

Just like any left-leaning government, they think the birds and bees will fill government coffers. The thinking is the government believes it knows what the people want, no matter how wrong it is.

Don Caponigro, Strathmore

Notley’s NDP has a credibility problem

Whether it be oilsands or pipelines, a full and comprehensive environmental assessment must be undertaken by fully qualified environmental scientists (not know-nothing, heavily funded anti-oilsands and pipeline environmental protesters) and approved by the government.

A licence to proceed must be granted before any project can go ahead. Protesters have every legal right to protest, but once the licence to proceed has been granted, there is no legal right to prevent a licensed project from proceeding.

Back in 2011, Environment Minister Shannon Phillips was an opponent of the oilsands and pipelines, so the problem here is one of hypocrisy and credibility.

Our NDP government has now switched sides and is trying to promote pipelines, while still promoting the environmentalist protesters’ scientifically fraudulent climate change dogma on which pipeline protests were based.

Norm Kalmanovitch, Calgary

City playing hardball with snow removal

I recently represented an elderly neighbour who received a letter from the city warning the potential for a $150 fine for not removing snow.

At the date and time the letter was sent, the walks were clear. After contacting bylaw services, I was told that 40 per cent of complaints are frivolous, which was the case with my neighbour.

Upon inspection, bylaw services ripped up the complaint. My thoughts are as follows: Does the city also recognize that many of the homeowners also face the same mobility issues as described as being faced by pedestrians?

Why start with the worse-case scenario by sending a letter threatening a fine when the odds are so high the complaint will be discarded?

How many complaints does the city receive, and what does it cost to inspect the 40 per cent of frivolous claims? Surely, the city can find a better approach to dealing with its taxpayers.

Cliff Jamieson, Calgary

Injustices in Africa go overlooked

Re: “Thousands march through downtown for women’s rights,” Jan. 22.

As we all know, there have been countless women, movie stars, public figures and politicians who have come forward to reveal their experiences of being sexually harassed and/or abused by those in a position of authority, or in a position to apply leverage to physically or sexually exploit them.

I applaud them for having the courage to disclose those dreadful experiences. However, many of them have gone on to become successful and iconic names in the entertainment, media and political fields. In response to this, several actors have donated their earnings to causes surrounding this issue recently.

Even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau goes to great lengths to dramatically expound on the seriousness of this issue.

What about the countless girls and children in the African nations who are roused from their cots in their poverty-stricken environment, and forced to watch their parents and older siblings be raped, beaten and hacked or shot to death?

They are dragged off to a remote location, forced into slave like conditions, raped, beaten and taught to fire weapons and care for their male abusers.

Why don’t some of the millions of dollars donated by the narcissists in Hollywood make their way to organizations that can help these unfortunates? Why can’t Trudeau take up the cause?

Martin Miller, Calgary

A locked car won’t get stolen

Re: “Teeth needed to fight auto theft,” Letter, Feb. 1.

Sometimes, it pays to look elsewhere for solutions. If police are concerned with vehicle theft, the state of Victoria in Australia has a solution.

If your vehicle is parked, it must be locked. Simple.

Keep it running, if you like a warm vehicle in winter or cool in the summer. Justin Trudeau and his crew won’t mind you contributing to their carbon tax plan.

The law was designed to eliminate escalating insurance fraud claims, but it would provide the same protections that Calgary police say they are looking for.

Now, where can I send my invoice for consultant services?

Guy Scott, Strathmore

Health care in great need of improvement

“Never quite last place.”

That sums up the findings of the 2017 C.D. Howe Institute and the U.S. Commonwealth Fund reports as they score Canadian health care against 10 peer countries.

When measured by factors including preventative care, co-ordinated care, affordability, timeliness, equity and health-care outcomes, Canada looks best when compared solely to the United States, which clings to last place.

Improvements may be coming in coverage for drugs, dental care and in the excessive wait times that plague Canadians. But even major improvements in these may not move Canada from the bottom tier to the middle.

Health care in Canada is predominantly a provincial responsibility, so they must wear much of our failure to keep pace. The reports show Alberta looking better than most other provinces, but we remain firmly in the bottom tier occupied also by the U.S. and France. Is this what Canadians want?

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There inevitably comes a reckoning for kicking the can down the road.
Half a century ago, it was ferocious lectures from my mother (an undoubted expert in that particular genre of communication) that always concluded with the phrase, “do you think we’re made of money,” after she’d discovered yet another pair of shoes with holes in the toes.

Isn’t it time our prime minister put aside his favourite glib sound bite about how Canada can and must do better?
Of course, that would entail tough choices and hard work, so it is understandable, if not forgivable, that he and his ministers prefer the heart on the sleeve, tears in the eyes morality approach, consisting of endless lectures inflicted upon us.

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